Comparison by capillary SFC and SFC-MS of soxhlet and supercritical fluid extraction of hamster feces

Components of hamster feces ranging from low molecular weight fatty acids through the expected range of triglycerides have been eluted in a single SFC run with simultaneous pressure and temperature programming. Temperature programming from 140°C to 240°C was required to provide optimum conditions for separation of the fatty acids and to move the elution region of the sterol esters away from that of the triglycerides. Data from chemical ionization and electron impact mass spectrometry of compounds separated by SFC were used to confirm identities suggested by retention measurements and to provide tentative identities of unknown compounds. SFC with flame ionization detection was used to compare Soxhlet extraction, off-line supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), and on-line SFE of the feces. Although samples obtained by Soxhlet extraction and SFE produced very similar chromatograms, SFE required far less time and consumed much smaller quantities of organic solvent.     

Elution of Cationic Species with/without Ion Pair Reagents from Polar Stationary Phases via SFC

Traditionally, the application of supercritical fluid chromatography has been limited to compounds of relatively low polarity. Thus, we report here that one secondary amine and two quaternary amine salts were successfully eluted from a Deltabond Cyano-bonded silica column with the addition of sodium alkylsulfonate to the methanol-modified, carbon dioxide-based mobile phase. A possible ion-pairing interaction between the positively charged analytes and the anionic part of the sulfonate additive has been proposed. In another set of experiments, the three amine salts readily eluted from both Ethyl-pyridine-bonded silica and Amino-bonded silica phases without the need of additive although the peak shapes were less than desirable. The addition of sulfonate salt to the mobile phase again sharpened the peaks. In the presence of a mixture of methanol and CO₂, we suggest that these stationary phases are positively charged. We describe here also for the first time the employment of a strong silica-based anion exchange (SAX) column for supercritical fluid separation of cationic species. Two elution mechanisms were proposed for the three amine salts depending upon whether the ionic additive was incorporated into the mobile phase. Separation as the ion-pair was proposed with an ionic additive in the mobile phase; whereas separation of the intact amine salt from the positively charged basic stationary phases was suggested to be operational without the ionic additive.     

The dependence of sorbent/analyte type on observed differences in supercritical fluid extraction efficiencies employing extraction vessels of different dimensions

Summary The effect of extraction cell dimensions (i.d.: length) on supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) efficiencies of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is shown to be dependent on the type of sorbent used. For octadecylsilane (C18) sorbents, there is a significant increase in observed SFE recoveries of PCBs when the cell dimensions are made more broad (increased i.d.: length); whereas, no effect of cell geometry is observed when the common adsorbent, Florisil, is utilized. Additionally, recoveries decreased in proportion to the chlorine number, for the PCBs studied, for octadecylsilane sorbents, while no such effect was observed for Florisil. These results illustrate the magnitude of the matrix effect in SFE, which generally dominated observed recoveries, even in the simplest analyte/sorbent systems such as the one studied here.     

Diffusion coefficients of 2-fluoroanisole, 2-bromoanisole, allylbenzene and 1,3-divinylbenzene at infinite dilution in supercritical carbon dioxide

The Taylor–Aris chromatographic technique was employed for the determination of diffusion coefficients of 2-fluoroanisole, 2-bromoanisole, allylbenzene and 1,3-divinylbenzene at infinite dilution in supercritical carbon dioxide from 313.16 to 333.16 K and pressures between 15 and 35 MPa. As expected, the diffusivities rise when temperature increases and pressure decreases. Numerous predictive equations are compared with experimental data: Lai–Tan, Liu–Ruckenstein cluster formula, Woerlee, Hippler–Schubert–Troe, Catchpole–King, Eaton–Akgerman, He, He–Yu, Liu–Silva–Macedo, Funazukuri and coworkers, Dariva–Coelho–Oliveira, Zhu–Lu–Zhou–Wang–Shi and the Liu–Ruckenstein RHS formula. The equations of He, He–Yu and Catchpole–King are the best of all, but cannot be used in the whole range of temperatures and solvent densities.     

Evaluation of dithiocarbamates and beta-diketones as chelating agents in supercritical fluid extraction of Cd, Pb, and Hg from solid samples

The use of four dithiocarbamates and three fluorinated β-diketones as potential chelating agents for three transition metal ions (Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Hg²⁺) extracted from spiked sand and filter paper samples by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was investigated. The extractions were performed at 45°C and 250 atm for spiked sand samples and at 60°C and 200 atm for filter paper samples using supercritical carbon dioxide modified with 5% methanol. At 250 atm and using carbon dioxide modified with 5% methanol, the recoveries of Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Hg²⁺ ions from spiked sand samples were 95% with lithium bis(trifluoroethyl)dithiocarbamate (LiFDDC) as the chelating agent; they ranged from 83–97% with diethylammonium diethyldithiocarbamate and from 87–97% with sodium di-ethyldithiocarbamate as chelating agents, and from 68–96% with trifluoracetylacetone, hexafluoroacetylacetone, and thenoylfluoroacetone as chelating agents. Ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate was not effective in the chelation SFE of Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Hg²⁺ ions from either spiked sand or spiked filter paper samples under the extraction conditions used. Supercritical carbon dioxide alone gave consistently lower analyte recoveries than supercritical carbon dioxide modified with 5% methanol. The results suggest that the solubility of the metal chelate in the supercritical fluid plays a more important role than the solubility of the chelating agent in the supercritical fluid, as long as sufficient chelating agent is present in the fluid phase. Fluorination of the chelating agent, as in the case of LiFDDC, increases the solubility of the metal chelate, and subsequently enhances the extraction efficiency for the metal ions.     

Effect of column diameter on efficiency in capillary supercritical fluid chromatography

Fused silica capillary columns with internal diameters from 100 to 25 μm were coated with SE-54 and evaluated under supercritical fluid chromatographic conditions using carbon dioxide as mobile phase. Experimental results compared well with theoretical predictions. At ten times the optimum mobile phase velocity and for a capacity factor, k of 3, efficiencies of 2300 to 5600 plates m^?1 were obtained for column diameters of 100 to 25 μm, respectively.     

Effect of mobile phase density gradients on efficiency in packed column supercritical fluid chromatography

Summary The efficiency of packed columns was measured as a function of flow rate, temperature, outlet density, and the density differential across the column, unsing pure carbon dioxide as the mobile phase. Although density differentials are often blamed for a serious loss in efficiency in packed column supercritical fluid chromatography, the results show that efficiency was not a function of the density differential. Peak shapes suggest that apparent loss in efficiency is actually due to inadequate solubility of the solute in carbon dioxide.     

Capillary and packed column SFC/MS

A frit restrictor interface for capillary column supercritical fluid chromatography/mass spectrometry (SFC/MS) has been constructed and used for the analysis of high boiling point alkanes. Packed column SFC/MS is described using both a moving belt liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric interface and a thermospray source in the filament-on mode.     

Supercritical Propanol-Water Synthesis and Comprehensive Size Characterisation of Highly Crystalline anatase TiO2 Nanoparticles

Highly crystalline anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles have been synthesised in less than 1 min in a supercritical propanol-water mixture using a continuous flow reactor. The synthesis parameter space (T, P, concentration) has been explored and the average particle size can be accurately controlled within 10-18 nm with narrow size distributions (2-3 nm). At subcritical conditions amorphous products are obtained, whereas a broad range of T and P in the supercritical regime gives 11-14 nm particles. At high temperature and pressure, the particles size increase to 18 nm. The nanoparticles have been extensively characterised with powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) with excellent agreement on size and size distribution parameters. The SAXS analysis suggests disk-shaped particles with diameters that are approximately double the height. For comparison, a series of conventional autoclave sol-gel syntheses have been carried out. These also produce phase-pure anatase nanoparticles, but with much broader size distributions and at much longer synthesis times (hours). The study demonstrates that synthesis in supercritical fluids is a very promising method for manipulating the size and size distribution of nanoparticles, thus removing one of the key limitations in many applications of nanomaterials.     

SFE of rosemary oil: Assessment of the influence of process variables and extract characterization

The effects of temperature and solvent density on the characteristics of the extracts obtained from supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of the volatile compounds from Brazilian rosemary (Rosamarinus officianalis L., Labiatae) using carbon dioxide (CO₂) as solvent were investigated. The experiments were performed in a semi-batch laboratory scale home-made unit at two temperatures, viz. 310.15 and 320.15 K, over the pressure range of 100-160 bar. This study allowed to determine the crossover point and the maximum solubility of the oil. The products were analyzed by HRGC-MS, and compounds grouped in three different classes according to their molecular mass distribution in order to evaluate the influence of the variables studied on the characteristics of the extracts. The model proposed by Sovová was adopted in an attempt to interpret the mass transfer phenomena in the extraction process.